Mercedes F1 Team has More Than Halved its CO2 Output

The Mercedes Formula 1 team says that it has more than halved its CO2 since 2018 and says it hopes to eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2026.

The figures come from the company's second annual Sustainability Report and feature a litany of highlights and further commitments that might, to some, seem at odds with high-end internal combustion engine motorsport. 

The company says it wants to become the "most sustainable professional sports team" in the world and promises to become net-zero by 2030 by eliminating Scope 1 and 2 emissions entirely while reducing Scope 3 by 75% with the remaining quarter eliminated through carbon removal.

"We operate in the fastest, most dynamic sport in the world and we have a responsibility to use that global platform to be more than leaders; we want to be pioneers. Over the past few years, we have worked tirelessly to change and better understand the impact we have on the world," says Toto Wolff, Team Principle and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

As such, Mercedes is using renewable power sources to fuel its factories and headquarters including wind power in Turkey and methane gas capture and electricity generation from waste in Bulgaria. It is also involved in reforestation projects in Costa Rica and uses safe water boreholes in Uganda to further offset its emissions. 

Similarly, Mercedes became the first sports team to invest in sustainable aviation fuel. Flights account for more than one-quarter of the team's entire carbon footprint and, by using sustainable aviation fuel, the team hopes it can eliminate almost half the carbon footprint of its race team personnel's air travel.

Formula 1, as a sport, is planning to adopt sustainable race fuels in 2026 which should massively reduce the emissions of all the teams on the grid.

“We are a team of problem solvers and we’re setting ourselves ambitions on how to become more sustainable across all that we do. We are at the start of this journey but have committed to extremely challenging targets because we are all in on the race towards a sustainable tomorrow. I am very proud of our team for the achievements that we have made so far and the industry-leading strategies we have committed to in the years ahead," continues Wolff.

“What happens on the track is inextricably linked to what happens in the world outside, and that drives the entire team to continually go faster and further.”

You can read the full Sustainability Report.